Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1887-12-08
v.,n,,,c,uC ommendntion.

II is very evident thai President Cleve-
land has struck popular cborh through
his message to the Fftirih congress.
The democratic press Of the country are
universally pleased with it, and large
number of leading and Influential repub>
Icon Journals do not hesitate to pro-
noupce i, an able and strong document
and really endorse the presidents ideas OF
tariff reduction. Asssan Indication OF the
favor with which the message has been
received, we copy portion OF the editor
ial comment of the Chicago Tribune, the
leading republican paper of the norIh-
west:
The message is able and statesman
like; luminous in style; perspicuous IN
statement; clear in its reasoning; and IT.
REPUTABLE in its conclusions. 1t is moder-
ate protection doctrine. such as has been
exempiitied more than once in the public
utterances of both the great political par
ties
ut ustsSdSG 10 utFbttb w tut ulot US
sion of three general propositions:
First, that the surplus revenues are ex
cessve and dangerous, aid ought to be
distributed back among the people from
whom they were drawn.
Second, that the system of finance
which results in the accumulation in the
public treasury of such enormous sums
e 1nl So
is unsound and ought to he amended.
Thiri, that the best method of distrib>
uting the present surplus and bringing
the revenues permanently to en- equality
with the necessary expenditures of the
government aud the requirements of the
sinking fund is to reduce the eXorbitant
taxes upon imports by adding to the free
list and cutting down severely the tariff
rates on all neCessarles of life.
During the last fiscal year, as the mes
sage explains, the treasury department
could use large amount o. what would
otherwise have been surplus revenue in
reducing the national debt but all that
Is now at standstill Every bond sub
ject to call has been called, and the con-
tributon to the sinking fund Tor the
present year completed by the purchase
of all the government bonds contemplate
ed by the sinking fund act. The presi-
dent evidently does not think any more
favorable of the policy of relief by strain
ing the special depository act than the
Tribune does, and does not propose 10
allow policy of that kind to become
10 lir-f nfh 10
do with the surplus but to pile it up.
Extravagant appropriations snd expedi>
ents of dubious legality for affordng
partial relief must not be relied on
There is way to prevent accumulation
OF excessive revenue without any exercise
Of uncertain authority, and if congress
does not exercise that power, upon its head
and not upon that of the executive, vii.
rest the responsibility. That is the tone
Of the message, aid almost its precise
language.
The surplus was about 55 millions at
the beginning of the present iical year
(Juue 30), notwithstanding the fact that
during the last half of the year per
cent bonds to the extent of almost 80
millions were called in. The excess for
the first half of the current year was
over IS millions. The water is pouring
in. and there being no outlet, desolat-
ing food is eminent. There are only two
sources of internal revenue of any impor-
lance in this connection. the liquor and
tobacco taxes, neither of which would
the president disturb; but there are about
four thousand sources of impost revenue
Very many articles subject to
duty he would add TO the flee
list and some others he would
materially reduce. He does not go in
10 details with any fullness, but he does
paw his addresses to the fiockmasters and
their demand that such necessary of
life as wool, required all the time in one
form or another by every man, woman
and child in the United States shall be
taxed and made more expensive for their
individual benefit. Their impudent
claim to be the farming interest" of the
country is enough to justify attention
from the presidential boot, and it must
be conceded that the kick is administered
with q will. The same trenchant pen
that is supposed to nave indited the more
telling of the late Mr. Tiden's public ut
tersnces and Secretary Manning's last
annual report must have drawn this in
dictment of the flockmasters, but who
ever did it it is excellently well done and
cannot fail to exert a wholesome lnfiu-
eDce.